2016 AL East Champion Boston Red Sox
- Thread starter 86spike
- Start date
No, if Boston wins one this weekend, then Cleveland would need to take three of these four in order to pass the Sox.
Great question. Not sure how they'd handle it if the game meant nothing to either team. Probably then, they'd not bother. But if even one of them needed it, maybe they'd play it?
The day after Yankees Elimination Day is always glorious. Even after getting swept by those miscreants. Enjoy the view of October, MFYs.
Now, Red Sox, win a few games* this weekend and get that two seed.
* Or maybe just one game.
Now, Red Sox, win a few games* this weekend and get that two seed.
* Or maybe just one game.
If it matters to the postseason - either for Detroit making it or not or for Cleveland or Detroits seeding and home field - then they will play it Monday.
http://m.indians.mlb.com/news/article/204098818/indians-rained-out-will-play-monday-if-needed/
Scenario question: Does MLB make Detroit and Cleveland play the Monday makeup game if Detroit is eliminated but Cleveland still could get the 2 seed (and home-field vs. Boston, say) in the ALDS?
Would Cleveland want to add that game, or would they rather rest -- and could they opt out and take the 3 seed?
You'd think they'd want home field, sure. But no way they burn Kluber to do it. And Bauer goes Saturday and even Tomlin on Sunday. So, what, they want a Clevenger game to maybe get home field? Part of me feels like they'd rather blow it off.
Edit: Ah, answered by UK while I was typing. They'd have to play it.
Would Cleveland want to add that game, or would they rather rest -- and could they opt out and take the 3 seed?
You'd think they'd want home field, sure. But no way they burn Kluber to do it. And Bauer goes Saturday and even Tomlin on Sunday. So, what, they want a Clevenger game to maybe get home field? Part of me feels like they'd rather blow it off.
Edit: Ah, answered by UK while I was typing. They'd have to play it.
Ok thanks for the info about Monday. And it looks like my gut was right. If the Sox win one game this weekend, Cleveland would need to win 2 of 3 against KC, and then would play at Detroit and would have to win THAT game too.
What would be interesting would be to see if Cleveland would go balls to the wall to win that game in order to get HFA over Boston. Would they use their top pitcher (if they could line him up) or would they save him for game 1 of the ALDS? Not using him increases the risk of losing HFA to Boston. Using him increases the chances of gaining HFA but then you only get your top pitcher for one game in the series.
That would be fascinating to see how Tito handles that, should it come to that.
But I want the Sox to go all out to win at least one of these next three games.
EDIT: And as I'm typing this, I see that LeoCarillo already posed the same question.
Every team that ever won clinched over 162 games. Worrying about how it happened at the one moment in time while ignoring the rest of the season is pretty silly. In the grand scheme of things, who cares? I forgot about it already.
I wonder if Tito would forfeit or effectively forfeit that last game to rest his players (and maybe not even take them to Detroit). That's a pretty brutal schedule to head into the playoffs with.
Or to put it another way, every clinch that has ever occurred in the modern era has occurred in the context of a season that featured at least 36 losses. Losses are normal and routine in baseball, even for the most elite teams. And at least some of those losses will come by blowing a lead late in the game, because that too is normal and routine. That this unpleasant but normal and routine thing occurred on the night when the Red Sox' 2016 division title became a certainty is a fact whose insignificance is almost impossible to overstate.
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Wednesday night:
Red Sox learn during their game that another team's loss means Boston has won AL East title
Sox proceed to lose their game
Team experiences momentary disappointment, followed by gradual elation for their achievement.
Celebration ensues.
Thursday night:
Yankees learn during their game that another team's victory means New York eliminated from postseason contention
Yanks proceed to win their game
Team experiences momentary elation, followed by gradual disappontment for their failure.
Depression ensues.
Red Sox learn during their game that another team's loss means Boston has won AL East title
Sox proceed to lose their game
Team experiences momentary disappointment, followed by gradual elation for their achievement.
Celebration ensues.
Thursday night:
Yankees learn during their game that another team's victory means New York eliminated from postseason contention
Yanks proceed to win their game
Team experiences momentary elation, followed by gradual disappontment for their failure.
Depression ensues.
I think I heard last night that it'll only be played if it matters. If not, they'll just cancel it.
Well .. that's mostly media griping about media access. I don't see any evidence of internal dissent. On the contrary its very much a case of US vs. THEM
That being said it does appear they are a tad on edge.There two main problems are a bullpen implosion and lack of hitting.
The criticism is a joke. I can't remember another instance of the Red Sox nailing September like this. Ever. It typically is white knuckle time -- win one, lose one, win one, lose two -- with scoreboard watching all the way. And, of course, they won a bunch in a row in Sept 1978 to square a season and force a playoff -- but they lost the playoff, and all this was after blowing a 15.5 game lead from mid-July forward.
Here they were nails. There was a huge bag of cash in the middle of a table populated by them, the blue Jays and the Orioles, who were effectively tied. And the Red Sox just grabbed it.
One thing I can't recall seeing is a swept team clinching a division and the sweeping team be eliminated. Kind of bizarre.
Is there any video of Farrell's expletive laden speech to the team after they clinched? According to Chad Finn, it sounds like it was fucking awesome:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2016/09/29/bizarre-celebration-made-for-interesting-viewing/piD8kZJmFF1m20hHqfu2qL/story.html
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They won 11 games in a row - three series sweeps of division rivals, including a sweep of the MFYs while coming from behind in every game.
Without looking, I'm pretty confidant that's never been done before. (They won 8 straight in 1978).
Lost within all of the "Fire Farrell" shouting and a number of admittedly bad losses even up to August is a historically good September. I'll think we'll be discussing this for years to come.
There's only one thing better for team building than going First, last, last, First - WS, last, last, WS. Make it so John.